Matching Items (5)
Description
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful framework for environmental decision making because the broad boundaries called for prevent shifting of burden from one life-cycle phase to another. Numerous experts and policy setting organizations call for the application of LCA to developing nanotechnologies. Early application of LCA to nanotechnology may identify environmentally problematic processes and supply chain components before large investments contribute to technology lock in, and thereby promote integration of environmental concerns into technology development and scale-up (enviro-technical integration). However, application of LCA to nanotechnology is problematic due to limitations in LCA methods (e.g., reliance on data from existing industries at scale, ambiguity regarding proper boundary selection), and because social drivers of technology development and environmental preservation are not identified in LCA. This thesis proposes two methodological advances that augment current capabilities of LCA by incorporating knowledge from technical and social domains. Specifically, this thesis advances the capacity for LCA to yield enviro-technical integration through inclusion of scenario development, thermodynamic modeling, and use-phase performance bounding to overcome the paucity of data describing emerging nanotechnologies. With regard to socio-technical integration, this thesis demonstrates that social values are implicit in LCA, and explores the extent to which these values impact LCA practice and results. There are numerous paths of entry through which social values are contained in LCA, for example functional unit selection, impact category selection, and system boundary definition - decisions which embody particular values and determine LCA results. Explicit identification of how social values are embedded in LCA promotes integration of social and environmental concerns into technology development (socio-enviro-technical integration), and may contribute to the development of socially-responsive and environmentally preferable nanotechnologies. In this way, tailoring LCA to promote socio-enviro-technical integration is a tangible and meaningful step towards responsible innovation processes.
ContributorsWender, Ben A. (Author) / Seager, Thomas P (Thesis advisor) / Crozier, Peter (Committee member) / Fraser, Matthew (Committee member) / Guston, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
In the burgeoning field of sustainability, there is a pressing need for healthcare to understand the increased environmental and economic impact of healthcare products and services. The overall aim of this dissertation is to assess the sustainability of commonly used medical products, devices, and services as well as to identify strategies for making easy, low cost changes that result in environmental and economic savings for healthcare systems. Life cycle environmental assessments (LCAs) and life cycle costing assessments (LCCAs) will be used to quantitatively evaluate life-cycle scenarios for commonly utilized products, devices, and services. This dissertation will focus on several strategic and high impact areas that have potential for significant life-cycle environmental and economic improvements: 1) increased deployment of reprocessed medical devices in favor of disposable medical devices, 2) innovations to expand the use of biopolymers in healthcare materials and devices, and 3) assess the environmental and economic impacts of various medical devices and services in order to give healthcare administrators and employees the ability to make more informed decisions about the sustainability of their utilized materials, devices, and services.
ContributorsUnger, Scott (Author) / Landis, Amy E. (Thesis advisor) / Bilec, Melissa (Committee member) / Parrish, Kristen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
ContributorsJordan, Brendan (Author) / Boyer, Mackenzie (Thesis director) / Bronowitz, Jason (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainable Engineering & Built Envirnmt (Contributor)
Created2023-12
ContributorsJordan, Brendan (Author) / Boyer, Mackenzie (Thesis director) / Bronowitz, Jason (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainable Engineering & Built Envirnmt (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
The post-industrial era ushered in significant advancements in global living standards, largely driven by technological innovations. The events of the 20th century shaped how these innovations implemented themselves into American culture, particularly influencing consumption habits. The broad shift to reliance on single use materials led to concerns about resource exploitation and environmental sustainability. Recycling stands as a vital tool in mitigating these concerns, while maximizing sustainable goals and circular material life cycles. While recycling stands as an important concept in material reuse, the United States recycling infrastructure faces some major inefficiencies that prevent it from achieving its optimal benefits. Investigating the growth of curbside recycling and the consequences of China’s ban on recycling materials reveal failures within the recycling system. Once identified, further analysis of recycling failures emphasizes the use of concepts such as industrial ecology to visualize how industrial materials are influenced by broader multi-dimensional systems. One such level of analysis involves investigating the shortcomings of current recycling technologies and their implementation. However, to provide a fuller explanation of these inefficiencies, analysis of cultural, economic, and political dimensions is necessary. Case studies of recycling systems in different types of U.S. cities such as San Francisco and Surprise, provide insights into the effectiveness of these dimensions at highlighting core failures. Analysis of these failures also provides a framework in which to engineer possible solutions for recycling systems that emphasis the growth of cohesive recycling infrastructure and leveraging legislation to influence the recycling rates and the production of more renewable materials.
ContributorsJordan, Brendan (Author) / Boyer, Mackenzie (Thesis director) / Bronowitz, Jason (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainable Engineering & Built Envirnmt (Contributor)
Created2023-12